VALIDATE Keynote: Academic Creativity, Strategic Alliances and Diplomacy to Catalyze the Vaccine Sciences in Tropical Medicine

About the Talk

Part of the VALIDATE 5th Annual Meeting - 14:30am, 8 March 2023

For the last two decades, the National School of Tropical Medicine and its Center for Vaccine Development in Houston, Texas has operated with the mission to develop and test new low-cost safe and effective vaccines and build sustainable and innovative plans to fight the neglected and emerging diseases through international diplomacy, solidarity, and cooperation.

Biomedical research is crucial for global development and requires robust local capacity, sustained investment and kept up infrastructure to prevent and respond to many public health issues. Our experience will be presented, providing a potential roadmap that relies on transformational and adaptive leadership to help catalyze the decolonization of the vaccine sciences, enhancing global scientific partnerships and create biotechnology capacity for self-sufficiency in the advancement of global health technologies leading to the control or elimination of the diseases of poverty.

About the Speaker

Maria Elena Bottazzi, PhD is the Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Dr. Bottazzi directs Research and Administration of the Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine and is the Co-Director for Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development a Product Development Partnership (PDP). Dr. Bottazzi is an internationallyrecognized scientist with more than 17 years of experience in translational research and vaccine development for neglected tropical diseases. In addition, her major interest is in the role of vaccines as control tools integrated into international public health programs and initiatives. Dr. Bottazzi’s philosophy focuses on motivating and empowering peers and young generations of scientists building strong inter- and intra-relationships and positively contributing to scientific and global health effectiveness.

Dr. Bottazzi is Editor in Chief of Current Tropical Medicine Reports, Springer, US and Associate Editor for Public Library of Science (PLoS) Neglected Tropical Disease Journal. She is recipient of multiple extramural grants and awards and has authored or co-authored of more than 100 scientific papers in molecular, cellular biology, immunoparasitology, and vaccine development. She has participated in more than 200 conferences around the globe and has given an array of television, newspaper and radio interviews. Dr. Bottazzi is a one of the 2017-18 Alan I. Leshner Leadership Institute Public Engagement Fellows and a Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) and American Leadership Forum (ALF) Fellow. In 2015, she received the highest honor from the Government of Honduras, the "Jose Cecilio del Valle" National Science Award and a Medal of Honor from the Honduras National Congress. In 2017, she was awarded the leadership award in science and technology from the Honduras Chapter of Vital Voices.